The woman who shepherded the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course at Harbor Shores through the development process including legal framework, regulatory approvals, and many other facets in her role as President of Cornerstone Alliance has been designated as a 2019 recipient of the Chancellor’s Medallion at Indiana University Southeast and will receive that honor next spring.
Wendy Dant Chesser, who has served as President & CEO of One Southern Indiana since departing her role at Cornerstone Alliance, is one of three tabbed to receive the highest honor presented by the Chancellor of IU Southeast in New Albany, Indiana. She joins Jerry Finn, Executive Director of the Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County Indiana and Alice Miles, President of the Friends of the Town Clock Church and will be honored in ceremonies on April 6th of 2019 at the Chancellor’s Medallion Dinner at Horseshoe Southern Indiana.
The highly respected medallion is reserved exclusively for individuals who have rendered distinguished service to the university and to the community, have given their talents in the promotion of human welfare and community well-being, and who, through their integrity, sensitivity, and commitment, serve as models for students and alumni of IU Southeast.
Wendy’s organization, One Southern Indiana, is dedicated to providing the connections, resources and services that help businesses innovate and thrive in the Southern Indiana region bordering Northern Kentucky, just over the river from Louisville.
As President of Cornerstone Alliance, she was responsible for Berrien County’s lead economic development agency at a time when the entire Harbor Shores Resort community was in the blueprint stages and helped shepherd things to reality, creating a major economic driver for the entire region that continues to grow with new neighborhoods under construction at the confluence of the St. Joseph and Paw Paw Rivers. She was instrumental in juggling an incredible number of challenges in the evolution of acres of land and falling down buildings into a premier destination attraction before departing for One Southern Indiana.
Prior to her stint at the helm of Cornerstone, Wendy worked in various aspects of economic development for more than seven years within Indiana, and spent the last year of her government career as Deputy Executive Director for Program Operations of the Indiana Department of Commerce.
She currently serves as a Chair for the Indiana Economic Development Association, after serving as Legislative Chair there for three years. On her local scene, Wendy serves on the Boards of Directors for the Kentucky Derby Festival,, the Louisville Zoo Foundation, Ivy Tech-Sellersburg Trustees, Greater Louisville, Inc., Align Southern Indiana, Falls of the Ohio Foundation and Louisville’s Regional Airlift Development.
She was named one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers of 2015 by Consultant Connect, which is a consulting agency designed to bridge the gap between economic developers and site consultants. That’s an honor awarded to current Cornerstone Alliance President Rob Cleveland just last year, as well.
Additionally, the Indiana Economic Development Association awarded Wendy Dant Chesser the “Economic Development Professional of the Next Half-Century” this past June (2018), while her Indiana peers named her the “Chamber of Commerce Executive of the Year” in 2016.
Wendy received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Indiana University Southeast in 1991. She and her daughter, Joslyn, reside in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
